My Personal Finance Blog

Can I afford to ski or snowboard during a credit crunch?

The answer to “Can I afford to ski or snowboard during a credit crunch?” is an emphatic “I don’t know!”. But maybe with our six point guide you will be able to find a way to not miss out on your well earned winter break.

Six point guide

1. Choose the right resort // When booking a winter holiday most research time (prior to making a booking) is spent on deciding the location and then the accommodation. For example ‘high altitude chalet accommodation in the French Alps’. Once this decision has been made a suitable company is found; a discount is requested; the price is set and a deposit is paid… and not a second thought is given to the average price of eating on the mountain everyday; the price of a pint; the cost of a lift pass; the price of ski hire; entry to clubs in fact any in-resort cost… which can often double (or more) the amount you spend on a winter holiday. So what are the potential savings? Here is just one example… Lift Passes: Portes du Soleil v Les Trois Vallees – both stake claims on being the largest linked ski areas in Europe and both have similar snow records. Portes du Soleil area pass = €200 or a Les Trois Vallees area pass = €259 a difference of 22% and Avoriaz area pass = €144 or a Meribel Pass = €205 a difference of 30%.

2. Party more – ski and snowboard more // How does that work if I want to save money? Well here’s an idea… look for well equipped chalets with great in-chalet entertainment and a good policy on wine consumption and a fairly priced honesty bar. It is still not that well known but independent companies invariably provide better value than traditional package companies. For example some independent chalet companies boast table footballs; media centers; iPod docking; PS/2’s and LCD’s in all bedrooms; sledges; a large selection of board games and many have hot tubs. So why not après ski back at the chalet with a cold beer and a round of ‘babyfoot’ instead of necking 2 pints at the bar. Potential saving based on 2 pints après ski each day for a week = €70.00

3. Take advantage of non peak weeks // I am still at a loss as to why the price of a holiday in April is considerably less than February. Ok, there is obvious demand due to half term to take in to consideration but that aside why do so many people that aren’t restricted by time not go skiing or snowboarding in April. … “HUH are you mad.. it’s too risky.. there may not be enough snow” I hear you exclaim.. let me tell you.. those in the know go in April.. but what do they know? Well early and late winter holidays work amazingly well in resorts that don’t need a huge base to open the mountain. i.e. resorts that are based on shale or high pasture land and not rocks. For example: Avoriaz consistently opens early (sometimes in November) and closes on the 1st May. What is the potential saving? Taking rudechalets as an example their peak week price is £639 and their non-peak price is £299 a difference of over 50%… add to that the difference in the price of an Avoriaz lift pass – €200 Peak v €170 off peak..it should be smiles all the way back from the cash point.

4. Read the small print // I hate reading the small print and that’s why I am never surprised when I end up paying more than was advertised. Flight surcharges.. car hire damage waivers.. I find it extremely annoying but it’s the way that it sadly is… so maybe we should start reading the small print. What should we look out for?… currently I would say the big one is to check for surcharges… and if you are asked to pay in the local currency be extra careful as you will likely end up paying for any exchange rate fluctuations; check if there are additional charges for transfers; check if there is a supplement for balconies, ensuite accommodation and parking.

5. Buy in-resort – buy at home? // So you have decided to buy some new gear for the season… before you take any further steps.. check the price locally versus the resort.. it is often thought that equipment will be cheaper in resort but with currency fluctuations significant savings can be made by buying before you go.

And finally…

If it sounds too good to be true // … it almost certainly is! so I would say be careful of “price slashes and great reductions” ..because invariably something has to give and for a winter holiday this normally equates to the level of service, the quality of the food and the standard of accommodation.. and the last thing you want to do having saved money in all the areas described above is to end up with a non reputable company. A quick and easy check is to scan their marketing material and website site for press coverage; guest feedback and any relationships with other respected companies. If they check out well for these… add them to your list of considerations.

There are some great alternative resorts with independent operators so why not give one of them a try… maybe rudechalets accommodation in Morzine

Chris Lavender has been skiing and snowboarding for over 20 years and is the founder and director of rudechalets which provides summer and winter accommodation in Morzine & Chamonix.